


The Golden Eyed Child

by TrueLlama717



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Anyway Pls Read, Child Abuse, F/M, GO GIVE 'EM A HUG, Has Anyone Noticed How Creepy It Is That El Calls Brenner Papa, How Do I Tag, Human Experimentation, Hurt Mike And Eleven, Imprisonment, It Hopefully Won't Be That Bad, Kidnapping, Martin Brenner Is The Worst Human On Earth, Martin Brenner Should Go Die In A Hole, Memory Loss, Probably PTSD, THEY CERTAINLY NEED IT, This Is Probably Gonna Be Awful, Trauma, Trust Issues, but i tried, powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-16 01:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21499264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrueLlama717/pseuds/TrueLlama717
Summary: One year ago, Micheal Wheeler disappeared.One year ago, family and friends mourned their loved one.One year ago, Dr Martin Brenner found a new subject.And one year ago, Twelve was born.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 11
Kudos: 42





	1. You Can't Keep A Storm Locked Up

**Author's Note:**

> Hi readers! (If there are any)  
> I hope you enjoy this. I'm not very patient, so my stories are always kinda rushed. Sorry in advance. I'm an amateur, as in I'm still a kid, so hopefully my writing skills will improve with time.  
> I hope you enjoy! If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to leave a comment!

Subject 012 was different.

He knew that from the beginning.

And Papa didn’t hesitate to tell him.

The differences were subtle at first; his nose didn’t bleed when he used his powers like the others. Instead, his irises glowed gold. Papa, Dr Brenner, was even more amazed as Twelve started to develop a second ability, despite him already having telepathy. It started in one of the more brutal tests - he refused to do something that they told him to, and so he was getting beaten. Nothing new there. He was just so mad, and he just wanted to leave so badly, and he shut his eyes to prevent the tears from falling, and then it fell silent. Curious, he cracked his left eye open slightly, gasping and shooting upright as he found himself in his room. Teleportation, a common ability, unlike his telepathy. He could read minds and emotions, and after a while he found he was able to control them, too. They knew of no others with two abilities, so he was, inevitably, Brenner’s favourite. But being the favourite didn’t mean he was treated like a person. The only one who treated him as an equal was Eleven, the telekinetic girl in the cell opposite him. She was the only thing that kept him sane. And they were getting out of there together.

“Hey, Dustin, race ya! First one to Will’s gets to pick a comic to keep from the other’s collection!” Lucas called, pedalling forward furiously. Dustin swore, racing to catch up.

“Damnit, Lucas! No fair!” He yelled as he followed his cackling friend past the forest and towards Will’s house. Their carefree and joking mood was sure to change in the next few hours…

_ (Damn, that foreshadowing though… a bit dramatic…) _

Twelve screamed as he strained to teleport one last time, before falling to the soft earth of the forest. His hand inched up to feel the tender flesh around his neck, still surprised to not feel the collar around his neck that had prevented the use of his powers. The collar that had made him feel like an animal. Eleven crouched down beside him worriedly. A frown creased her features, both sympathy and excitement dancing in her beautiful brown eyes. “Alright?” She whispered.

“Y-yeah, El….. fine… let’s g-go…” He trailed off, staring at the darkness between the branches of the dense trees. He stood up shakily, grateful for Eleven who was standing beside him and supporting his weight. He didn’t weigh much, though. A year in a lab with two meagre meals a day would do that to a person. They limped forwards, Twelve taking one last lingering look back at the foreboding building looming above them, the sound of alarms faintly reaching his ears. The sound brought him crashing back to reality, as he was reminded of his situation.  _ We will never be safe, never be free. They will hunt us, and they will not stop until they find us. To them, we are their property, and we can never live a normal life.  _ The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. This was futile. Papa would come for them. He kept walking and didn’t look back.

Dustin’s blood ran cold as a scream echoed in the distance, cutting off eerily. In front of him, Lucas had stopped, staring into the woods with fear distinctly etched into his features. Wordlessly, they both abandoned their bikes and hesitantly started into the woods. The ominous silence was unnerving, and Dustin was practically vibrating with terror. The shadows cast by the tall, thick trees danced across the soft ground as the stars flickered playfully. They kept walking into the secluded forest in silence, keeping pace with each other effortlessly. Although they were terrified out of their wits, they were still extremely curious. So when Dustin heard Lucas scream beside him, he was equal parts excited and anxious. All of that was drowned out though as he hurried up to Lucas, and the world fell away, leaving only him and Mike’s beaten and bloody body.

The first thing Twelve noticed when he woke was the pounding inside his head. Then, he noticed the voices, bickering only a few metres away from where he lay. “What the hell is  _ Mike Wheeler, _ our  _ best friend _ who went missing  _ a freakin’ year ago  _ doing unconscious in the forest in a hospital gown with a bald girl?!?!” The first one demanded.

“Lucas, why are you questioning it? Sure, it’s confusing as hell, but appreciate it! He isn’t dead, like we all thought he was! What is wrong with you that you’re doubting sweet, caring Mike who VANISHED FROM OUR DAMN LIVES A YEAR AGO, AND I COULD NEVER GET OVER IT! I smiled, I laughed, but… but I realised Mike should be there t-too, laughing, smiling, j-joking… and do you know where he was, Lucas? No, AND NEITHER DO I! For all we know, he could’ve… probably was… experiencing literal HELL! AND ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS WHAT HE’S WEARING, AND THE GIRL HE’S WITH!” The first voice, Lucas, fell silent. A strangled sob filled the air, and Lucas muttered an apology. Curiosity piqued, Twelve sat up slowly, voicing the first question that came to mind.

“Wh-who’s Mike?” Silence descended, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The two children turned to face him, varying levels of horror and misery evident on their faces. One had dark skin and short brown hair, the other pale with unruly hair. He wore a cap, and Twelve subconsciously wondered how it stayed on his head with all the curls underneath. The gravity of his situation seemed to sink in as he grabbed the still unconscious Eleven’s hand and shrunk against a tree, his heart hammering in his chest. These people, though they looked friendly, could easily turn him in. Finally the dark haired one found his voice, and he choked out,

“B-but you’re Mike. M-Michael Wheeler, our best friend. I-I’m Lucas, and... he’s Dustin... " The one that he called Dustin finally regained his composure, though he still looked shaken.

“I-if you’re n-not Mike, then who a-are you?” Wordlessly, Twelve turned his bare arm over and gestured to the tattoo on his wrist, a constant reminder that he wasn’t normal, wasn’t human, that he was a freak, a monster. A collective intake of breath could be heard as they saw the black ink.

_ 012. _


	2. Nancy Wheeler, the perfect straight A student and good girl. Did I mention mentally unhinged?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't get on Nancy's bad side. It will be the end of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT PLS DON'T HATE MEEEEEEE. And pls don't get angry at me for Nancy's behavior. You'll understand after you read this. ALSO, I kinda wanted her to get together with Jonathan, WHICH HASN'T HAPPENED YET, she just got angry at Steve. If you like Steve, please don't hate me. I tried to not make Steve too much of a villain, but I'm planning to make Nancy and Jonathan get together sometime in this fic. Enjoy!

Nancy blinked back tears, her vision blurring. Steve’s words echoed through her head yet again.

_ Nancy, I know you miss him, but you need to move on. He’s dead, Nancy. Mike’s dead. _

A shuddering breath escaped her lips. She sank to the ground, cupping her head in her hands. Steve was right. She needed to move on. But how the  _ hell  _ is it possible to move on when it hurts so much? Whenever she walks past his bedroom door, what  _ was  _ his bedroom door, her emotions go so out of control to the extent that she can feel physical pain.  _ Come on, Nancy. Calm down. In, out, in, out.  _ For a few minutes she sat there, focusing on breathing, and the pain subsided. She stood up slowly, still leaning against the wall of the random alley she had run to in her misery, and froze. Soft voices reached her ears, and she instinctively hid behind a crate. She didn’t want anyone to see her like this. No, she didn’t want anyone to see  _ Nancy Wheeler, the perfect girl  _ like this. She strained her ears and barely made out the words, out of curiosity more than anything.

“Lucas, how are we going to tell him? ‘Hey, Will, nice to see ya, oh and by the way we found our best friend who was presumed dead unconscious in the forest with a stranger and a tattoo on his wrist. And did I mention he doesn’t remember a thing?’ Yeah, right.” Lucas, the name sounded familiar. And the voice. And what were they talking about? Presumed dead? 

“Maybe we should just show him. And how has you research gone on memory wiping and all that? What do we tell his family? Dustin? Are you listening? What’s with that grin on your face?” Nancy choked, struggling with every fiber of her being to stay silent. Dustin, Lucas and Will. Mike’s best friends. _What did they do to my baby brother? Who is ‘they’?_

“Nancy is his family. She’ll fall in love with me for sure when I break the news that her brother’s alive!  _ ‘Oh, Dustybun, how are you so heroic? You’ve done the impossible, how could I ever repay you? What about a kiss?’”  _ Dustin swooned in a high pitched voice, making Nancy involuntarily gag.

“Right, and then you’d have to break the news to her about him possibly being tortured and abused for a year. Oh crap, this really is bad, isn’t it? I… I hope Mike will be ok… a-and how do we tell her about the memory loss? How do  _ we  _ even cope with it? And w-will he even accept th-the name Mike? He called himself T-Twelve.” And then the voices were gone. As well as Nancy’s self control. She screamed, punching the wall, feeling the fire in her veins. She need to hurt someone, just how  _ they  _ hurt her. How they hurt him. Unnatural blood lust flooded over her. She grinned maniacally, savouring the thought of the people responsible at her mercy. The sounds of their bones cracking. And their screams. And then it was gone. She shivered, sobbing, terrified of what she’d become. But even though the adrenaline had worn off, screams still conquered her thoughts, screams she was  _ enjoying.  _ And so she went through the rest of school silently, the ghosts of melodic torture echoing in her ears, drowning out everything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now do you know what I mean by Nancy's behavior? Pls don't hate me, I am terrible at reading characters and their personalities, especially replicating them, and I kinda just wanted a bit where one of the characters went psycho. Like me! >:) Muhuhahahaaa!


	3. "She. Said. No."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope you like this. BTW they decided not to tell Will about Mike until after school, just in case you're confused.

“Will, do you copy? Dustin and I are coming over. We have something to show you. We’ll be there soon. Over.” Will smiled, picking up his walkie talkie.

“Yeah, I copy. What is it?” 

“It’s a surprise. Over.” He insisted. Will sighed exasperatedly, raising the walkie talkie to his mouth to answer.

“Got it. Over and out.” He snapped the antennae down, leaving it on his bed. As he stood up it groaned, and his footsteps echoed in the empty house. He gazed sightlessly out the window, watching the calm wind bend the grass slightly. If only he could be as calm as the wind, away from all his troubles, if he could just float away -

Two bikes roused him from his stupor, and he stood up, walking over to the door. When he opened it, he frowned. Two figures were on each bike. Who were the mystery people? As far as he knew, no one in the Party had any other friends. As he pondered this the bikes skidded to a stop, and his friends helped the others off. They looked shaken, obviously not used to riding a bi-

Wait. 

No.

_ No. _

No _ , he’s dead, he can’t be here- _

Will was dimly aware of his surroundings as his body crumpled to the ground, still staring at but not comprehending the sight in front of him.

“M-Mike…?” He choked, not taking his eyes off of him even as Lucas and Dustin stepped forward to help him to his feet. 

“No. Twelve.” He said, gesturing to a tattoo on his wrist.

No.

No.

_ No. _

Mike was not some weapon or lab rat for the government to take! Who the  _ hell  _ would dare kidnap him and pretend he was dead, for what? To defeat the Russians?  _ Science?  _ Was there some other factor he was ignoring, some other reason? He sure would enjoy ripping their throats out!

“M-Mike, why - oh my god - why do you have a number o-on your… your wrist?” He croaked, gripping the edge of his jacket so hard that his knuckles turned white. Mike - no, Twelve - just cocked his head to the side questioningly, his brown eyes portraying innocent confusion. The girl who had been previously cowering behind him stepped forward hesitantly.

“Who he is. What he is.” She whispered, then proceeded to show him her wrist. “Eleven,” she gestured to herself, “and Twelve.” He nodded vigorously, pleased with that explanation. 

“But… where were you… and… wh-who did that t-to you?” He stammered, mind still reeling from the fact that his  _ best friend who was dead was standing right in front of him.  _ Their faces darkened, and unshed tears shone in the girl’s - Eleven’s - eyes.

“Bad,” Mike said. “Papa bad.” He then hugged Eleven comfortingly, and Will caught sight of Dustin and Lucas’ faces over their shoulder. They hadn’t heard this news yet, judging by their horrified and disturbed expression. Will shivered; the name and the way he said it invoked natural fear in him.

“Mike, what did your… Papa… do to you?” Lucas inquired bluntly, causing the two scared teens to shrink in on themselves, tears running down their pale cheeks. They obviously hadn’t seen the sun for a while.

“Bad things. But Papa still loves us. R-right?” Mike replied, unsure. Will’ features morphed into disgust and horror. Tense silence fell upon the group, with Eleven burying her head into Mike’s shoulder. Finally it was broken when Dustin said,

“Maybe w-we should go in-inside and catch each other up on… certain developments…” Will nodded and wordlessly opened the door for the others. When Mike and Eleven walked into the house, they glanced around with awe and wonder, as if this was their first time seeing a house. Their hands were tightly clenched around each other’s, and they took a seat on the couch together. After everyone was settled down, Will spoke.

“So, uh… Eleven… no, that do-doesn’t sound like a n-name. What about El? Like a nickname?” Her eyes widened slightly before she nodded happily, a smile gracing her features. The smile dropped right off her face when Lucas started speaking, though.

“We need to contact someone, tell someone! They can get you help, and punish whoever did… did this to you. I’ll call Will’s mum!” Lucas practically leaped off of the couch and sped towards the phone, not noticing the terrified expressions Mike and El wore. He held it to his ear, preparing to put in the number for the phone at Melvald’s, when it flew out of his hand, the cable ripping. He froze, muscles taut, and turned around slowly to see El, hand outstretched, using the other to wipe the blood from her nose. 

“No.” He backed away, terrified, reaching for the handle of the front door.

“I’ll just… tell her in person!” Suddenly Mike disappeared, and everyone stared at the space behind Lucas. He spun around to see Mike, irises fading from gold back to the normal brown, standing there, hand on the door.

“She. Said. No.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try and update soon, and if you have any questions or suggestions or anything, you can leave a comment! I'm always open to new ideas. And I know the name for this chapter is absolute crap but it's all I could think of.


	4. And in the dark, it was finally set free.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dem flashbacks ya know?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> Sorry this is so short. Btw the flashback is slightly different, cuz I mean, why not? So don't go off at me, I know it didn't happen exactly like that, I just wanted to do it like this.

_ She floated in the darkness, temporarily free from the men in white, from the needles, and most of all, from  _ **_Papa._ ** _ She began to reach out with her mind. She felt her thoughts, her consciousness, drift away, wavering slightly. This wasn’t like the other times she had been here. Those times the darkness wrapped around her like a blanket, uncomfortably tight, but bearable. The water would lick at her feet, keeping her rooted, anchored. _

_ This time, she was suffocating. _

_ Her breath caught when she first saw it, hunched over, tearing, biting,  _ **_feeding._ ** _ The water was tainted with a dark crimson liquid, drops of blood dripping rhythmically. She took a shaky step, then another, fear gripping her chest. As she drew near, the sound of her heartbeat in her ears almost drowned out the sounds of that  _ **_thing._ ** _ She reached out a trembling hand, every fibre of her being telling her to  _ **_runleavehidescreamnotsafenotsafehelppleasepapahelp_ ** _ but despite her fears, she brushed against its slimy, raw pinkish skin, screaming as it turned to face her, mouth spread open. She staggered back, screams echoing in her ears that were not only her own. The two's cries harmonised, beautiful, deadly, horrifying. In the darkness, where only they existed, the cruelty of nature was evident. No matter how high something was on the food chain, there was always something bigger,  _ **_deadlier._ ** _ And she had just set it free. _

Eleven jolted awake, drenched in sweat. "Papa…" she croaked, her throat dry. She brought her knees to her chest, rocking back and forwards slightly. She looked up, seeing Twelve's concerned face above her. No, Mike. She bit back a sob and fell into his arms, relishing in the comfort his warm body gave her. "Twelve - Mike, b-bad dream." She stammered between tears. He seemed to notice her discomfort with the name, so he held her at arm's length and looked into her eyes.

"You can call me Twelve." The warmth and worry in his eyes made her smile, and she nodded. They embraced once again, two people like no one else, understood only by each other. 

_ Should I stay or should I go now? _

_ Should I stay or should I go now?  _

_ If I go there will be trouble _

_ If I stay there will be double _

_ So come on and let me know. _

Jonathan turned the keys, opening the car door. He trudged up to the door, still humming. After unlocking the door, he stepped inside, expecting an empty house. What he didn't expect was to see two children hugging on the ground. They were alerted of his presence when the keys dropped to the ground. They immediately scrambled away, eyes wide with fear. They put as much distance between them as possible, then the boy stepped forwards and spread his arms in front of the girl protectively, despite the way he was shaking, despite the way his eyes darted around nervously. The boy… the familiar boy…

"M-Mike…? Is th-that you?" He choked, memories of Will grieving, dungeons and dragons, police sirens… the boy's eyes widened, but still he sustained his defensive stance. "Don't… don't you remember me? Jonathan? Where… wh-where did you g-go?" Mike blinked, stepping forward slightly.

"Will's brother." He whispered. It was a statement, not a question. He looked up, face bright, eyes shining. "I remember! I remember a game… and Will's brother. I… I remember! Papa was… Papa was wrong. I can remember, Papa lied!" He started hopping up and down excitedly, grabbing the girl's hand. Then he stiffened, turning back to Jonathan, his expression unsure. "I can remember… a family."

"Jim, Nancy Wheeler's here to see you," Flo called through the open door. He groaned; he already blamed himself for the Wheeler kid, what did she want now? To make him feel worse?

"Send her in." He said gruffly, a cigarette hanging from his lips. She stumbled into his office, eyes red and puffy. He avoided eye contact, letting her piercing gaze travel over him. "What is it?" She bit her lip, wringing her hands nervously.

"Is there… is there any possible way that… that Mike is alive?" She asked, staring at the floor intensely.

"I don't know, kid," he replied gently. "It's possible, since we don't actually know what happened to him, but it's unlikely. He has been gone a year, after all. Why? Did something… did something happen?" She glanced up, nodding slightly, then down again, shaking her head. Finally she noticed Hopper's confused expression and elaborated.

"Some of Mike's… friends walked past. Th-they didn't know I was th-there, and… they talked about… they said he was in the f-forest… with a stranger and a -" she choked, hyperventilating, leaning against the wall for support. Hopper rushed over to help, waiting for her to speak again. "...a  _ tattoo  _ on his wrist, and h-how… oh gosh.. he di…  _ couldn't  _ remember anything." Hopper rubbed his head wearily. On one hand, this could be great, he could be alive. On the other, they might have been lying, and then Nancy would be… yeah, not great. He internally debated the pros and cons before finally reaching a decision.

"Ok. Let's go talk to those kids."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, why did I ever choose to make names for the chapters? I know what this one should be - MISTAKE. Also I'm sorry this is so crap, I suck at writing, but it's fun so here we are.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea why, but I love fanfics where my favourite character has super powers, or is on the run from the government or something like that. I always love reading stories where Mike, my favourite character, has powers, and I feel like there aren't enough since all I can find are ones where Will or Steve have powers, so I decided to write one. I hope you like it so far! I should update relatively soon, but I can't promise when, so seeya then!


End file.
